Mar 18, 2015

See what's cookin' at Great Wolf Lodge Concord #hosted

Recently, my family and I had the great pleasure of visiting Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC. This was our second time visiting, and that was almost 3 years ago. Although the resort had the same overall feel from the first visit, we soon learned that so much had changed, for the better. We were greeted at the door by the friendliest gentleman who quickly offered to unpack our car and take our bags up to our suite once we got checked in. The front desk clerk was very polite and the check-in process was a breeze. It felt like we were the only guests in the entire place despite how busy it was.

We had a special delivery brought up to our suite; Great Wolf Lodge's homemade fudge. Oh. My. YUM!

Look at the great books and collector cards gifted to my son. He loves reading about the Adventures of the Great Wolf Lodge mascots.

We stayed in the Family Suite that sleeps up to 6. There was more than enough space for my family of 5 and the overall suite was huge. The room was immaculately clean and we had ample towels, toiletries and extra pillows and blankets available. The rooms are so quiet although there is almost always a group of kids or families walking up and down the hallways. You can take a nap and not hear a single noise. I don’t think I have ever stayed at a hotel like that before.

The main reason we went to GWL was because I was invited to tour the resort and sit in on a luncheon to learn all about the latest updates and even upgrades happening at that GWL location. Angie Brown, the General Manager, took us on a tour of the resort and showed us all of the amenities offered. They have everything from a spa, gym, arcade, mini bowling alley, dining places and of course, the water park. It was really neat to learn some of the behind-the-scenes details of how Great Wolf Lodge was established and how the resort is run in a nutshell. I wish I could have spent a few more hours hearing more, but we had to eventually end the tour to get to the luncheon.

This was the perfect sampling from the new Lodge Wood Fired Grill. Everything was delicious and full of flavor.

They had their Executive Chefs standing by in the business/conference center. I did not know that they even had a business area! It was very professionally set up with a very big dining table in the middle of the room. The table was set up beautifully for all of us. Chef Chris Hammond spoke to us about the latest developments in the Great Wolf kitchen and I think he surprised all of us. He gave us some background about himself and talked about when his wife was pregnant and they had their first child. He said she was constantly looking up information online and came across a blog that gave her so much information about food and what was best to feed her family. He said something that really stuck in my head; “It started with a blog”. Chef Hammond realized the power of social media and how he really needed to make some necessary changes with the food they serve their guests. They have completely revamped their menus to include many organic selections as well as foods with no GMO’s including their French fries. The amazing part is they don’t charge you more to give you much higher quality food that you can feel good feeding your family. They even spent 6 months researching all new ingredients to make the perfect pizza. I have to say that they last time I ate the pizza at GWL; we were completely turned off and actually threw most of it in the trash. It was that bad! Their all-new pizza is absolutely delicious. It is NY Style and they did not skimp on quality ingredients. Needless to say, none of it was left over and we know for a fact we will order from Hungry as a Wolf on our next visit. Chef Hammond informed us that if guests have any type of food allergies, they could make dishes to suit their dietary needs. All it takes is a request to speak with one of the chefs and they will make it happen. This is great news since so many people have sensitivity to gluten, nuts, dairy and many others foods. Speaking of nuts, they have made all of the food establishments at the resort nut-free. Of course you can’t stop guests from bringing foods into the resort containing nuts, but it’s so good to know for family’s that have nut allergies.

This was breakfast from the morning buffet at the Loose Moose Cottage. There was something for any taste or appetite. This was the BEST breakfast buffet I have ever had.

We visited newest restaurant at the resort called Lodge Wood Fired Grill. In a nutshell, it is family style fine dining. The menu offerings range from comfort foods like steaks and mac and cheese, to lobster and shrimp pasta or calamari with homemade dipping sauces as an appetizer. Choosing what to order was hard! We all ordered something different and shared everything. My hubby got the barbecue platter with all the fixin’s. It was fit for a King! The rest of us ordered the ahi tuna sandwich, chipotle chicken Panini, lobster and shrimp pasta and the little one got the mac & cheese with fries. We all shared the calamari appetizer and were blown away by how tender they were and how scrumptious the homemade dipping sauces were as well.

Oh boy, we had so much delicious food!

We were served enormous portions and had to take half of it back to the room to heat up for a midnight snack. They have a full-service bar and instead of traditional full-size desserts, they offered mini desserts. These mini desserts come in what looks like a double shot glass and is just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. We all picked different varieties: salted caramel brownie, red velvet, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake and chocolate pudding. They were all amazing! The salted caramel brownie was my personal favorite.

I found out from Executive Chef Chris Hammond that they use all organic ketchup in their restaurant and also non-GMO potatoes for their fries that are cooked in organic oil. It really blows me away how large their French fry portions are. I don’t think I have ever dined anywhere that organic ketchup was all they had. This is truly a different Great Wolf Lodge than I remember 3 years ago. You can tell how much time and love goes into each dish.

Wiley the Wolf and friends were always photo-ready. They have so many fun activities for the little ones including a dance party and story time.

Our family enjoyed most of the amenities the resort has to offer, especially the water park and arcade. The girls even went to the new “Howly Wood XD Theater”. They have some amazing ‘rides’ and games in 3-D. I don’t think I have to tell you how much fun the indoor water park is. It was 49 degrees outside and we enjoyed the 84 degrees inside as we splashed and slid down the fun slides. Like always, Great Wolf Lodge makes safety a number one priority for their guests and there was no shortage of life guards, life vests for kids and staff members available to help with any of your needs. If you have never been to Great Wolf Lodge before, you are missing out on an amazing family adventure. I think the grown-ups had more fun than the kids!

Be prepared to unleash your inner child on the super fun slides and attractions.

A good tip is to go during the week for the best rates and fewer crowds. Amazingly with how crowded and busy the resort was when we went, there was minimal waiting and we still received the type of service like if we were the only family at the entire property. The staff is top notch and always there to help in any way or answer questions. Be sure to have the kids save up their allowance and birthday money because they will definitely want to check out the Northern Lights Arcade and partake in MagiQuest. They even have a new Great Wolf Kids Store where your child can create his/her own stuffed toy. Check out the Great Wolf Lodge website to book your trip. You can even browse dining options, menus and services offered to help plan better and budget for your visit.

A big thank you goes out to Great Wolf Lodge for hosting my family and taking good care of us. We can’t wait to book our next visit!

It looks like you guys had a great time. My family has always enjoyed their visits there. I had no idea they had a stuffed toy store so that must be a new addition. By the way I want that fudge you guys had!!!! Did you eat it all lol?